It was so sad that Joey had passed and that he was never really able to fully get out of his demons. I too hope he's at peace now.

CT kinda did seem like he didn't want to be there.

Parisa was tolerable but she did dish some shit out herself.

Frankie did seem diffcult. I remember on that trip she was just so mad for like no reason and I do remember her arguing with all the others when they came back from a night on the town during that same trip.

Trishelle..Looking back she wasn't that bad and she didn't do anything wrong.

Man, Joey's death hit me really hard too. More so than Diem's because he really had a tragic story. I clearly remember him saying in one of the episodes "One day you will all wake up and Joey will be gone." It's actually very haunting now. I don't think he should have been on the show, honestly, because he was exploited. Hell, even the Soup would mock him a couple of times. But I never found his antics amusing or entertaining in a good way. It was seriously scary and sad. And deep down, you could see he really was a good guy and enjoyed the company of his roommates (even awful Sarah and Greg). It sucks Frankie had a short life too, even though she could be frustrating like you said, but I still sympathized with her and it makes sense why she couldn't completely enjoy herself on the show.

It is so chilling to go back and watch Hollywood now that his story has completely played out.

Man, Brooke was amazing. She was truly a fantastic casting choice for the sole fact that she was absolutely, 100%, certifiably crazy. But, the good kind of crazy. The BEST kind of crazy. The kind of crazy that provided moments of absolute, unintentional hilarity. Honestly, Brooke could have sat around and done absolutely nothing all season and still made it to the top 5 simply for her two big blowouts. Who could forget when she went to get her nails done and had to walk through the “ghetto” and came home all flustered and when Tyrie and Colie tried to talk her she just goes “If I can’t even talk… I just I just!!” and started crying and walked off. It was so absurd and amazing. But the best moment has to be when Brooke when off on either Jenn or Colie in what has to be the best meltdown on RW. “DON’T YOU EVER GODDAMN TALK TO ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!!!” and like I feel like it literally was about dishes or something? And it was because Jenn called her a brat, but man Brooke just goes right for it. “You’re a bitch, just like Colie!” like, damn girl. But I mean, Brooke WAS a brat. She was the child of two therapists and was basically a walking case study. She was also a little princess who was literally afraid to break a nail so of course their job at Outward Bound was horrific for her. She had a nice friendship with Davis that turned sour when Davis made fun of her weird chin thing and wanted to have a threesome, but they were cool in the end. Look, Brooke was fucking amazing and we need another. But there will never be another like her.

Sorry to disappoint as I know a lot of you predicted/hoped Brianna would be number 1. There’s no denying that she was a very interesting and dynamic cast member, but the fact is that I had to look up her season to recall some of her best moments which I did not have to do for most of the people at the top. Brianna was great though because she was 100% herself the entire time. She was open and honest with everybody about her pasts and she was honest with people about how she felt about them without coming across like an asshole. She started the season with a cute crush on Joey, but the idea of them being together really couldn’t have worked. They were both too broken and it just wouldn’t have been healthy. Brianna was also a great casting choice because she was put on a season with Kim and Sarah who both came from a very narrow-minded background so Brianna was somebody who could educate them and show them that not everybody has the luxury to live the way they do. She had to become a stripper for financial reasons and she has no qualms about that but she knows deep down they judge her for it so she tries to educate her. It was also hard to watch her struggle with her arrest problems and having to go back and forth to Philly to figure that out. We hadn’t really seen that on a RW season before. Brianna was great because she was real and flawed but you could tell she had a good head on her shoulders despite her past. Of course, living with Sarah and Kim proved difficult for her especially when they went on vacation and all their judgements came to a head. And Brianna wasn’t afraid to throw down. Remember her argument with Kim after the “let’s not get ghetto” comment. Brianna smacking up against the gate is one of the most memorable moments of Hollywood for me. And remember when Dave was getting his ass kicked by some locals and Brianna just straight up threw one of them to the ground? She was loyal and badass. Plus, she actually had a great voice (singing and speaking) and is one of the few music storylines I actually enjoyed watching.

Like many people who made the challenge their career, Tonya wasn’t really the Challenge Tonya we came to be familiar with on her original season. In fact, she was basically a 180 from what she would become. She was modest, judgmental, and obsessed with her boyfriend. Who seemed like he sucked but whatever. Tonya was always getting into arguments with Aneesa about Aneesa’s nakedness and with Theo because in general, Theo was always kind of an ass to Tonya. Remember when her boyfriend came and fought with Theo about his treatment of Tonya? But the thing about Tonya is that she never seemed to really enjoy being there. Like, she was miserable but positive it was weird. She was ALWAYS on the phone talking to her BF. Like honestly it’s shocking (and sad) what happened to Tonya bc she was SO different back then. She was also frustrating to watch because she was always such the victim and I felt bad for her but then I’d be like “ugh she’s so annoying though”. But man, were the roommates mean to her sometimes. Who could forget when they all went on the trip and she decided not to go and they intercut scenes of the roommates making fun of Tonya in the car with her on the phone with her BF in the house alone. And of course the song “WALLA WALLA KIDNEY STONES!” How have I not mentioned the kidney stones yet? She was going to the hospital alllll the time to pass kidney stones and she just had health issue after issue. To the point that Cara used Tonya as an excuse to get out of Keri’s play or whatever because Cara hated it. And Tonya was like “uh fuck no you’re a liar, tell her you thought it sucked”. Good times. And I think I forgot to mention this in Cara’s writeup but who could forget when Tonya mistakenly called Cara “Keri”. “GET MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT, TONYA.” Good times. It’s sad what happened to Tonya, because while aggravating back in the day, she was sweet generally and meant well.

I already feel like people will disagree with this choice because people kind of turned on Brad after Cutthroat and he’s a “nice guy” and people seem to think “nice = boring” on these shows. Well, I say fuck the haters because Brad was AMAZING on his season of the RW. He was hilarious, he was drunk, he was loud, he was dramatic, he was hot, he was friendly. He was an ideal RW cast member. He started the show by driving his fucking motorcycle to the house and ended the first episode making out with Frankie (!!) in the hottub. He also had one of the best will they/won’t they storylines with Cameran because the two of them were just two drunk, funny, kind of dumb people who couldn’t decide if they actually wanted to be together or not. Of course Brad had a girlfriend and of course that just couldn’t last. Brad and Cameran’s relationship for much of the season consisted of goofy flirting and Cameran hitting Brad in the balls all the time. And of course there was the time Cameran and the girls convinced Brad to show him his penis. His 8 INCH STACKED penis, that he had his girlfriend confirmed for him. “AND I AIN’T EVEN HARD” It was hilarious, and quite frankly the pixilation left nothing to the imagination. Brad and Cameran never really did end up dating but man they had a hot makeout sesh in Greece (again in a hottub, natch). The real love story was between Brad and Randy, though. This is definitely an all-time RW friendship. They were hilarious together. I could honestly watch Brad and Randy dress up as Mario and Luigi and throw shit off the deck all the time and not get sick of it. I’m laughing just thinking about it. And remember when they all snuck in the playboy mansion? And c’mon it’s impossible to talk about Brad without talking about his arrest. He basically got arrested for being too drunk, which he managed to prove when the officer described what penal code he was violating. Brad’s response? “PENAL CODE? I didn’t whip out my penis!!” (not today, at least). Again, it was fucking great. And Robin got arrested the same day!! FREE BRAD!! Look, Brad is proof that it’s possible to be a fantastic casting choice without being a psychopath. If I had to compare him to cast members of other eras, I’d say he’s a mix of Seattle David and Leroy. I feel like I’m missing things, but man Brad rocked.

After 10 or so seasons on the challenge, most people probably got sick of Paula. I certainly did. I grew to really dislike her towards the middle of her challenge era (I eventually went back to tolerating her by the end), but there’s no denying that Paula was a damn fine RW cast member. She had a pretty heartbreaking story arc where she suffered from severe anorexia or bulimia and it was genuinely difficult to watch her struggle. You could see that she was struggling with it simply by looking at her, and apparently it was even worse before the show! She also had a troubled past with her ex-BF. We all remember the Tonya Harding lookin mugshot right?? She also clearly suffered from anxiety issues and was always picking at herself and had been in an abusive relationship prior to the show. It was all just too much. Paula was also always getting hammered. She was getting hammered and not eating, which is a terrible (and potentially deadly) combination. Not only was she getting hammered, but she would get hammered and do stupid shit and inevitably fight with her roommates, namely Johnny. They were always arguing anytime they went out and they just went straight for the lowest of low blows. Johnny would call her out on her anorexia and weight, Paula would call out his tiny dick, and inevitably Paula would end up breaking down bc Johnny’s words got to her too much and he eventually always had to apologize. And it’s true, he should’ve apologized but the fact is that Paula did not make it easy to live with her. When she got drunk, she got stupid, incoherent, and messy. And don’t even get me started on her baby voice (which sadly never went away). But, Paula made the tough decision to go to therapy and it wasn’t easy for her. She didn’t want to do it at first but she did and we honestly watched her grow throughout the season. Paula belongs at the top because she shined a light on real issues which we is sadly few and far between on the RW these days. The final episode and her final goodbye letter is truly heartbreaking while also being uplifted. I’m man enough to admit I shed a tear for Paula, but had a big smile on my face as she was the last person there reflecting on how much she had grown during the season. It’s that reason why the Key West finale is one of the best RW goodbye episodes of all time, IMO. Forget what Paula became, and remember how great she was on her season.

I loved Brooke too. She was so entertaining and made the Denver season better.

Brianna was a great casting choice. And her "Summertime" song was nice to listen to. I wish we saw her on more challenges.

Tonya .. sad that her MTV career ended so horribly. She did kind of annoy me on the Real World, but she was harmless.

Brad got me into the San Diego season. He just looked like so much fun and he really was memorable that season even if he didn't have a deep storyline so I get the placement.

Agree with Paula at #1. Her story was amazing and the clips of her with each roommate and reading her poem honestly made me cry. Plus her goodbye with Jose. It really was a great finale. And Paula's last words, "I don't think they realized that they saved my life." Polar opposite from the prior Austin season.

Paula really was a good story on her season. I remember her letter at the end of the season, It was so damn touching and a bit sad too.

LOVED BRAD! Like you said he is proof that someone doesn't have to be a raging lunatic to be a good character. We need more people like that on RW and challenges too.

Brooke..that girl was a mess. Can't deny that she was entertaining though.

Brianna was fucking amazing and I wish she had done more challenges.

Tonya..man so many people HATED her back in the day when her show was airing. I remember back on The MTV forums people shitted on her so bad it wasn't even funny. But I will say that she was a good character. And that GET MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT was funny too.

Paula really was a good story on her season. I remember her letter at the end of the season, It was so damn touching and a bit sad too.LOVED BRAD! Like you said he is proof that someone doesn't have to be a raging lunatic to be a good character. We need more people like that on RW and challenges too.Brooke..that girl was a mess. Can't deny that she was entertaining though.Brianna was fucking amazing and I wish she had done more challenges.Tonya..man so many people HATED her back in the day when her show was airing. I remember back on The MTV forums people shitted on her so bad it wasn't even funny. But I will say that she was a good character. And that GET MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT was funny too.

Paula really was a good story on her season. I remember her letter at the end of the season, It was so damn touching and a bit sad too.LOVED BRAD! Like you said he is proof that someone doesn't have to be a raging lunatic to be a good character. We need more people like that on RW and challenges too.Brooke..that girl was a mess. Can't deny that she was entertaining though.Brianna was fucking amazing and I wish she had done more challenges.Tonya..man so many people HATED her back in the day when her show was airing. I remember back on The MTV forums people shitted on her so bad it wasn't even funny. But I will say that she was a good character. And that GET MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT was funny too.

Debut Album wrote:Paula really was a good story on her season. I remember her letter at the end of the season, It was so damn touching and a bit sad too.LOVED BRAD! Like you said he is proof that someone doesn't have to be a raging lunatic to be a good character. We need more people like that on RW and challenges too.Brooke..that girl was a mess. Can't deny that she was entertaining though.Brianna was fucking amazing and I wish she had done more challenges.Tonya..man so many people HATED her back in the day when her show was airing. I remember back on The MTV forums people shitted on her so bad it wasn't even funny. But I will say that she was a good character. And that GET MY FUCKING NAME RIGHT was funny too.

Hello Leroy? He even stated they were similar.

On The Real World. Not The Challenge.

Yes, Brad was a snake that made a deal with JEK on the Ruins that was never going to benefit him. Also was a royal douche on Cutthroat.

I lovedddd Paula on the RW and agree that after her Challenge seasons that most people forget what an incredible story arc she had. At the end of the episode when seh said she came away from the experience loving 8 people- her roommates and herself..chillllld I needed the tissues.